by Goatboy on Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:10 pm ([msg=56045]see Well I'll Be Damned... Or Not?[/msg])

"Internet hackers have acquired a dubious reputation for piracy, sabotage and the spilling of sensitive secrets, but an authoritative Vatican publication appears to rehabilitate them and traces parallels between hacker philosophy and the teachings of Christianity."

I am going to ignore the obvious here and go for something a little more subtle. How do you think this is going to change the public view of hackers in general? While mass-media outlets such as Faux News and CNN have traditionally had a huge influence on how people think of us, we haven't really seen much from the religious front. Do you think the Vatican's new stance will have any positive outcome?

Goatboy wrote:"Internet hackers have acquired a dubious reputation for piracy, sabotage and the spilling of sensitive secrets, but an authoritative Vatican publication appears to rehabilitate them and traces parallels between hacker philosophy and the teachings of Christianity."

I am going to ignore the obvious here and go for something a little more subtle. How do you think this is going to change the public view of hackers in general? While mass-media outlets such as Faux News and CNN have traditionally had a huge influence on how people think of us, we haven't really seen much from the religious front. Do you think the Vatican's new stance will have any positive outcome?

The Vatican is honestly the last place I would expect to see this. I liked their description of hacking as "a form of participation [in God's creation]", as one of the most appealing things about programming is the joy of crafting a world that does exactly what you tell it (for good or for bad).

I can't really see this having much of an impact, however - most christians I know consider the Vatican a little too religious, and things like advising Africans not to use condoms certainly doesn't help. Regardless, I think it's kind of cool that someone sees the beauty of hacking for what it really is, although I hate his statement that hacking stems from theistic ideals. Most hackers I know are fairly devout atheists, which further compounds how bizarre (but welcome) their stance is. Then again, the Vatican's stance has always been kind of bizarre.